Sunday, October 12, 2008

A thought provoking sms

Today I received a sms. You may ask, "What a big deal? We receive so many sms day in and day out." Right, I also receive so many sms and I forward many too. This one was sent to me by a friend and the moment I read it, I started to think about it at a deeper level. Before I proceed any further with my thoughts, let me quote that message over here.

I quote:

“When people walk away from you, let them go.
Your destiny is never tied to anybody who leaves you and it doesn’t mean that they are bad.
It means that their part in the story is over”


A simple yet thought provoking sms, isn’t it? I did forward it to my friends. One of my friends replied back and appreciated the message but also asked me a question which I quote below:


“But what about the pain and tears they leave behind. Why does destiny make us meet such people when in the end they walk away from us?”


A valid question, isn’t it? Does anyone have an answer? I didn’t and so replied to this friend stating the following:


“I wish I had the answer”

Both the original message and the reply I got from the friend whom I had forwarded it to, made me sit and ponder. I was contemplating about them when my cell phone beeped again indicating another incoming message. It was a reply to my sms and one that was even more hard-hitting. I am quoting it below:

“No one has the answer.
Nice messages give us the feel good feeling but when we face the grim realities of life we are left with questions which seldom have answers.”


This was the reply that I gave to the message above:

“Maybe certain questions need not be answered".

I sent this message because I just didn’t have an answer. I agree with my friend’s reply that the grim realities of life leave so many unanswered questions. Every person who steps in and steps out of your life leaves so many questions which seldom get answered. Why was he/she in my life for a brief moment? Why can’t good people be with you forever? This made me go back to the first message and find a one word answer to all these questions. How about a wild guess about what that word could be? Come on my friend, give it a shot. You are right, that word is:

DESTINY

I also feel like quoting a famous dialogue from the movie Anand which kind of sums it all up. Here it is:

“zindagi aur maut uparwale ke haath hai jahapana. Use na to aap badal sakte hai na main. Hum sab to rangmanch ki katputliya hai jinki dor uparwale ki ungliyon mein bandhi hai. Kab kaun kaise uthega, ye koi nahi bata sakta.”

It is a dialogue in the climax scene from a very old Hindi classic movie. I will just explain what it means in English.


Life and death are in the hands of God. Neither you nor I could change it. We all are puppets on the stage whose strings are tied to the fingers of God. When, who, how someone would be pulled up can never be predicted by anyone.

Though, the message in the dialogue refers to a very harsh reality surrounding the uncertainty of life and death; I could find the answer to many of my friends questions in it. No one has any control on who comes and stays in his or her life. You may try to do that. However, the fact is that no individual can control this aspect of his/her life. The best a person can do is to enjoy the moment and hope that it will continue for long bearing it in the back of the mind that actually it may not.





Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Uni's first day at office


Yes Uni. That is the nickname of my baby, my darling Unicorn. Today was her big day, her first day to office. She was very excited about it. She showed her excitement by roaring out loud showing her eagerness to break free. I was excited too about going to office along with her. Finally I had company. Till yesterday it was a lonely and boring journey to office. Getting an auto-rickshaw, literally begging in front of the drivers asking them to take you some place hurts. I went through this ordeal for almost a month. On top of that, getting stuck in Mumbai traffic is a nightmarish experience too. Not any more; my baby showed how elegant a dancer she is. She literally danced her way through the traffic. All big vehicles could only manage to take a pause and look with awe.

Before taking her to office, I took her to a shop, got her a new grip (handle grip) and changed the rusted number plates. After all first impression matters. She was happy with the cosmetic changes and I could figure it out in her smile. She was already neat and clean after the beauty treatment that she went through on Sunday at the maintenance workshop. I could see the difference. People just could not take their eyes of her. She didn’t show that she cared but I could sense her pride. She moved holding her chin up.

The best part of going to office with Uni is that she helps reduce my travel time by half. Also, she does not make me depend on other people. Going towards office in the evening was a crowded affair. We did not have any privacy. However, coming back from office was exactly the opposite. It was only me and her all the way and the peaceful environment of the morning. The cool breeze hitting us when we were moving added to the romance. I could ride her in top gear. It was one of the very rare occasions in city life. She too enjoyed the experience. Finally she could break free from all the restrictions. No one to block her way; she was a free bird.

I never was so enthusiastic about going to office. I guess no one in Mumbai who uses the local trains or the Mumbai roads to reach office could be. But my Uni turned things around for me. She truly is a darling!!!!